Chapter 77 : False
Chapter 77-Unedited: False
“Sister, did you truly meet the Demon King?”
“Yes.”
“What was he like? What kind of creature is the Demon King?”
“Handsome.”
“...Being handsome isn’t important, Sister.”
“You’re handsome too.”
“Ah, thank you, but...”
The troops of Arkan who had returned to Hortonwork took time to confirm their losses and reorganize.
After washing away his fatigue with a meal and a bath, Kain went to Lavinia’s room.
The Commander of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps and the Commander of the White Wolf Knight Order accompanied him.
The Demon King. An eternal nemesis with whom coexistence had seemed impossible, yet now, a strange form of coexistence had been achieved.
However, that coexistence was built upon humanity’s superiority. The Demon King was no longer absolute — he could be used, controlled, and, if problems arose, dealt with at any time. That sense of dominance had shaped the current situation.
Therefore, a Demon King who hid the Tower could not be allowed to exist. If he did, they had to find him, no matter what it took.
The Fifth Prince had come to Hortonwork resolved to find him, even if it took months — or years.
Yet, what should have taken months unraveled in mere days.
Because Lavinia had met the Demon King.
Had she been kidnapped or killed, it would have been a disaster, but she stood alive before them all.
If they claimed they weren’t pleased, it would have been a lie.
“What race did he seem to be?”
The Demon King’s race was important. Beastmen had their ways, Titans had theirs, and Frost Demons theirs as well.
Depending on the race, the Demon King’s disposition and the Tower’s atmosphere varied, and so did their means of response.
“If he saved the Peul Orcs, does that make him an orc? No, that can’t be — orcs aren’t demons…”
Lavinia shook her head.
“You don’t know?”
“First time seeing him.”
“A demon you’ve never seen before, Sister...?”
Lavinia was like an uncontrollable bomb. She had roamed the entire continent hunting demons, monsters, and magical beasts — to Arkan’s great headache — but few humans had encountered as many demons as she had.
Perhaps only the most battle-worn veteran heroes could compare.
“Don’t tell me — could it be another case like the False Demon King, whose identity was entirely unknown?”
“There can’t be another case like the False Demon King. And the Hero Guild gave him the name ‘Demon King of Dark Flame.’ If he uses fire, wouldn’t that make him either a Dark Elf or a Demon?”
The Commander of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps spoke.
The former were demons capable of using fire magic, while the latter were a race with many individuals born possessing the power of fire.
“His ears were normal.”
“Then not a Demon?”
“That assumption is wrong. If he were a Demon, there’s no way Sister wouldn’t recognize him.”
“That’s true.”
“Then are you certain he possessed the power of fire?”
“It’s already well known that he uses fire.”
“But no one has actually seen him, have they?”
Though his infamy soared sky-high after kidnapping three princesses and obstructing the hero’s march, no one had truly come face-to-face with the Demon King of Ergest.
“Information about the Demon King can only be obtained through direct contact.”
Kain knew of other methods as well, though he always doubted their reliability.
“Black fire.”
“So it was fire?”
“Demonic fire.”
But since it was Lavinia’s own testimony — she who had seen it directly — he could trust it.
“Do you remember where you discovered the Demon King?”
Kain spread out a map — one depicting Ergest, though much of it remained blank. It was still largely forbidden and unexplored territory, but better than nothing.
“No.”
“Then which direction did you go?”
“Forward.”
“Then did he have any distinguishing features? Something unusual?”
“Human.”
“Demons who look human are common. That’s not really a feature. Sister, could you specify anything more?”
Lavinia tilted her head slightly.
“Black hair?”
“And?”
“Black eyes.”
“Anything else?”
“Cher was...”
“Cher? Isn’t that the chimera you treasure most?”
It was also the chimera she had ridden across the snowy mountains.
“Yes.”
“What about Cher?”
“He was scared.”
“Scared?”
“Very.”
The knight, the mage, and the prince, who had been listening seriously, all gave hollow laughs.
It was natural for a chimera to fear a Demon King — that detail was of no help at all.
Realizing that this line of conversation would lead nowhere, Kain shifted the topic.
“How did you meet the orcs?”
“The dogs.”
“Ah, right. The demon hounds.”
They were chimeras Lavinia had personally created — beasts sensitive to demonic energy, capable of tracking it like hunting dogs.
It was the chief reason the King of Arkan had resolved to send her to seek out the Demon King’s Tower.
“If there was a battle with the Demon King, traces of demonic energy should remain. We can use the hounds to track it and begin searching for the Tower from there…”
“They’re dead.”
“...What?”
“All of them. The orcs.”
Good heavens.
Arkan’s plan had fallen apart before it even began.
* * *
An unexpected festival erupted in the dwarves’ royal capital.
“Hillan Cargill!”
“Hillan Cargill!”
Fireworks exploded and flower petals fluttered through the air.
The dwarves, drunk on beer, roared in celebration.
Riding atop a massive machine as he passed through the cheering crowd, Hillan Cargill waved his hand. The cheers grew even louder at his gesture.
“The hero of the kingdom!”
“The great hero who rescued the princess!”
A satisfied smile spread across his lips, and behind him, Granada frowned.
“Compose yourself. Everyone’s watching.”
“Do you really enjoy this so much?”
“I do.”
“It’s just for show…”
“Do you know? Fame isn’t born simply by doing something.”
It was, literally, the value of a name.
A name was completed only when someone called it.
The worth of that name was made only when someone praised it.
“You can slay monsters, eliminate bandits, contribute to public order, and discover treasures — but if you’re the only one who knows, there’s nothing more meaningless.”
It had to be seen.
Someone had to witness it, admire it, and spread the word.
“That could be the rumor of a single person or the testimony of many witnesses. And I assure you, a national festival and parade such as this are the best of all possible rumors.”
So, how could he not enjoy it?
“Fame becomes my honor. And my power.”
“Yes, yes. Congratulations.”
In any case, the parade’s main figures were Hillan Cargill and the entire Red Hawk Assault Unit. Granada forced his expression into composure and responded to the dwarves calling his name.
Then Granada lowered his voice to a whisper.
“There’s been contact from the mountains.”
“Again?”
“They say Arkan’s forces have arrived at Hortonwork.”
“There was no hero’s march, and no assault unit would go somewhere without knowing where the Tower is.”
“Yes, neither of those. But it seems the Arkan elite forces include Lavinia Arkan. Do you know her?”
“Lavinia Arkan…”
The 3rd Princess of Arkan.
Even in the memory of Hillan Cargill—who knew nearly every royal and noble—her name stood out vividly.
A princess who required special caution.
He realized what Arkan’s goal must be.
“They’re trying to find the Tower.”
“He said the same thing.”
“We must stop them.”
The Tower being revealed and destroyed was wrong. It would have to fall someday, but not now.
‘The Demon King tries to use me, but I’m also using the Demon King.’
Thanks to the Demon King, he had gained a sponsor in the Golden Moon Merchant Company and a vast amount of funding.
Thanks to the Demon King, he had captured the Beast Demon King.
Thanks to the Demon King, he had stopped the Lust Demon King.
And thanks to that, he had become the Argann of headquarters.
Though he hadn’t been told the details, the Demon King must have gained something as well. But was it greater than what Hillan had gained?
He didn’t think so — but even if it was, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Hillan was satisfied with this relationship — and wanted to enjoy it longer.
Therefore, he did not want the advantage of Berje’s hidden Tower to disappear.
That would only lead to a hero’s march, a Demon King subjugation — the end of their relationship.
“You will go personally.”
“What do you mean?”
“Take the Red Hawk Assault Unit and join them.”
“……?”
“Say I sent you and help them.”
“If I suddenly show up and say I want to help, do you think Arkan will accept it gladly?”
“They will. The Red Hawk Assault Unit has experience participating in the hero’s march to Ergest, and you remained by my side until the end.”
Before the perilous land of Ergest, experience was the most valuable thing.
“And after that…”
“After that, I’m to wander around every place without a Tower, is that it?”
“That’ll make them suspicious. Arkan’s mages are always doubtful.”
“Then?”
“Don’t pull any pointless tricks. Show them everything. Just leave the place where the Tower lies until the very end.”
In the process, the Kingdom of Arkan would suffer tremendous losses. They might even be annihilated.
“And if they reach the end anyway?”
“Then the Demon King will handle it.”
Hillan had never heard about the concealment magic that hid the Tower itself. But he did know what kind of mind Berje Deias, the Demon King, possessed.
Thus, ironically, even as a hero, he trusted that Demon King.
“If you report their movements, plans, and everything from the inside, he will never fall.”
There was a great difference between watching from the outside and manipulating from within. They would become rats resting in the Demon King’s palm.
“And if they ask how I knew about Arkan’s movements?”
The Hero Guild might know—or might not—but at least Hillan hadn’t been told anything through official guild channels.
It was a matter bound to raise suspicion.
“Just say that after the failure of the hero’s march in Ergest, you placed agents in Hortonwork for contingency.”
“They’ll believe that?”
“Even if they don’t, once a witness appears, they’ll have no choice.”
“So, you really will…?”
“Of course, it’s a lie.”
“……”
Granada’s face twisted bizarrely at Hillan’s calmness.
“Those deceived once by falsehood will take it as truth. Thus, they become the most dependable allies.”
“...What does that even mean?”
“Just say that Louise Berfht will vouch for you.”
“……?”
I didn’t expect it to come to this, but it isn’t bad.
“Go as soon as the parade ends. I’ll handle things here.”
“Understood.”
Granada nodded.
Hillan Cargill’s smile, as he looked out over the dwarves, deepened further.
“Not a bad plan.”
His plan was similar to what Berje had in mind — in some ways, even more refined.
Berje had only intended to purchase people through the Golden Moon Merchant Company and keep them under observation.
But Hillan Cargill’s plan was better. It left no risk of exposing the relationship between Berje and Hillan that Berje so feared.
After all, that reckless princess, Louise Berfht, would serve as the perfect witness.
“Hillan Cargill…”
At first, he had followed Berje only because of Armani’s Orb.
But gradually, he had assimilated — and now, he was the one proposing better ideas himself.
Because it benefitted him.
The current relationship between the Demon King and the hero was less a hierarchy and more a symbiosis — one mutually beneficial to both.
Even if that growth was meant for future exploitation, for now, the reality remained unchanged.
That was what had shaped Hillan Cargill.
He was the very embodiment of human greed.
* * *
“It seems we’ll need to be cautious.”
“I know what you mean.”
This solution certainly worked to Berje’s advantage, but it also hid Hillan Cargill’s greed — his desire to build ties with the Kingdom of Arkan.
“It seems that once we overcome this crisis, I’ll have to spend all my Demonic Points on interference release.”
Hillan Cargill was a viper. Unless he was certain he held the advantage, he would keep his fangs hidden. The foundation of that confidence lay in Berje’s own overwhelming strength.
“Yes.”
“But for now, we must drive those bastards away.”
“According to Krutu, they have a chimera capable of detecting demonic energy.”
“That’s likely true.”
“Then what if we scatter demonic energy across the mountains to confuse them?”
“If Granada stirs things up from the inside, that’ll make it even easier.”
“Yes.”
“A good idea.”
While they were wandering aimlessly, perhaps he should trigger a minor avalanche or two.
Berje recalled all the tactics he had used during the hero’s march.